Top Ten Tuesday - New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

 

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Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

Each and every one of the books shown under the authors pictures I have read, and each and every one has received a 4 star or higher review.

In no particular order.

 

Romily Bernard

Romily is really nice, she was also the very first author to officially be interviewed for my Monday YA Author Interviews......the interview you can find  here

And Find Me was also a very, very good book!

 

 

 

Michelle Gagnon

Michelle Gagnon writes brilliant thrillers, I would definitely recommend her YA series.

 

Katie McGarry

I LOVE the character's that Katie McGarry creates, as I have heard some people say "the McGarry boys" "Noah, Ryan, and Isaiah" are wonderful characters. She also does the alternating point of view very well.

 

Tamara Ireland Stone

Tamara created one of the few series I have ever read that the sequel was even better than the first book.....and she is one of the only authors who has just a duology instead of a trilogy.

 

 

Kasie West

Pivot Point was absolutely entrancing, the only thing I hated about it was it had a cliffhanger ending and the next book (Split Second) has not come out yet. And The Distance Between Us was even better.

 

 

 

Jennifer E Smith

I am a huge fan of Young Adult Contemporary, Jennifer definitely made me fall in love with both of her books. 

 

Marissa Meyer

Anyone who has read Marissa Meyer knows that she is an amazing author. Cinder and Scarlet were both amazing. And again, Scarlet was even better than Cinder.

Cristin Terrill 

As I am not the biggest fan of time traveling books, and after reading Tamara Ireland Stone's series (which were amazing and totally put my faith back in time traveling books), I picked this one up completely blindly.....not knowing that it was a time traveling book. I was surprised by how much I loved it.

 

 

Rachel Hawkins

I am actually reading School Spirits right now, so I can't say I (loved) it but it is definitely promising!

(And the last two books in the Hex Hall series actually received 3 stars from me, but I still love this author!)

 

Kathleen Peacock

And finally, Kathleen Peacock's books are both really great. Love this series and would recommend it to anyone (not just paranormal fans).

 

 

 

Link me to your Top Ten Tuesday below! I would love to visit!

Book Review: Wild Cards

Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1)
Simone Elkeles
Published October 1st 2013 by Walker Books for Young Readers
Source - Library

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?



Review
I have loved Simone Elkeles since her Perfect Chemistry series. When I heard that she was coming out with a new series I was extremely excited. The story alternated between Ashtyn's point of view and Derek's.

Ashtyn Parker is a strong female main character. Her goal is (and always has been) to make the boys on the football team accept her. She dates the quarterback, and is close friends to a few of the football players. Another goal, is to receive a football scholarship. Her hope is that her quarterback boyfriend will lead them to state and draw the attention of scouts which will thus bring attention to the entire team. When her boyfriend goes and joins the rival football team, she doesn't have a clue what to do.

I loved how strong and spunky Ashtyn's character was. In the starting she is a little bit too wimpy in her relationship with her boyfriend. But as the story plays out, you watch her grow.

Before Ashtyn's boyfriend crisis, Derek comes into the picture. Annoyingly gorgeous and spunky, just like Ashtyn. The two of them are instantly drawn/repulsed by one another.

Derek is one of my favorite guy characters that Simone has created. He shows his love through many different avenues. And although he does have his faults I never felt as if he was doing anything that would make him a complete jerk.
And as usual, Simone does the alternating point of views perfectly.

The story line was interesting, and it kept on going. Pretty much un-put-down-able. There were a few thing that I felt I would have liked to be explained better, and a few characters that I wish had more page time. But the next book will hopefully fix these things.

Really great next series from Simone Elkeles, and I can't wait to pick up the next installment.

Waiting On Wednesday (12) The Rules For Breaking

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

 

The Rules For Breaking (The Rules For Disappearing #2)

Ashley Elston

Expected publication: May 20th 2014 by Disney Hyperion

 

 

 

Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom.

But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down.

The deadly man Anna knows as Thomas is still on the loose, and now he's using her as a pawn in a dangerous game with the drug cartel determined to silence her forever. When Thomas and a mysterious masked man capture not only Anna but also her fragile younger sister and her boyfriend, Anna decides it's time to break all the rules-even if it means teaming up with the lesser of two evils.

Anna will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves and win her life back once and for all. But her true enemies are hidden in plain sight. Before long, Anna will learn that putting her trust in anyone may be the last mistake she ever makes.

 

 

Past Books In Series:

The Rules For Disappearing

 

I really liked The Rules For Disappearing, and can't wait to see what the author does in this sequel!

Please link your Waiting On Wednesdays in the comments below! I would love to visit.

Top Ten (Or Twelve) 2014 Release's I'm Dying To Read

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 

Top Ten (Or Twelve) 2014 Release's I'm Dying To Read

Giveaway Alert! One copy of "Sirenz," and one copy of "Sirenz Back in Fashion"

 

 

 

 

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) - Marissa Meyer

Anyone who has read Scarlet can't wait to get their hands on this one!

 

Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) - Veronica Rossi

Three names, Perry, Aria, and Roar.

 

 

The One (The Selection #3) - Kiera Cass

Pretty dress, and I want to know who America chooses (better be Maxon)

 

After the End (After the End #1) - Amy Plum

I was a huge fan of Amy Plum's Revenants series.....can't wait to see what she does with this one!

 

Split Second (Pivot Point #2) - Kasie West

The ending of Pivot Point was terrible, in the way that I didn't have Split Second to read right that second.

 

 

The Geography Of You And Me - Jennifer E Smith

Huge fan of The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight and This Is What Happy Looks Like. 

Rebel Belle - Rachel Hawkins

Again, I loved Rachel's Hex Hall series.

 

 

Endless (Shadowlands #3) - Kate Brian

Another series ender. Terrible cliffhangers at the end of these books.

The Rules For Breaking (The Rules For Disappearing #2) - Ashley Elston

I wasn't expecting a sequel for this book, but I am glad there is one.

 

 

What I Thought Was True - Huntley Fitzpatrick

 

 Take Me On (Pushing The Limits #4) - Katie McGarry

More Katie McGarry? Yes please!

 

On The Fence - Kasie West

And Kasie West made my list twice...

 

I would love to visit your Top Ten Tuesday! Please leave a link in the comments below!

 

Book Review: Time Between Us

Time Between Us (Time Between Us #1)
Tamara Ireland Stone
Published October 9th 2012 by Hyperion
Source - Library

Goodreads Synopsis:
Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction


Review:

Where do I start? This was the only (and I mean the ONLY) time traveling book that didn't leave me utterly confused by the end. There were questions, but those should be answered in the sequel.

Anna lives in Illinois, in 1995. Bennett lives in San Francisco in 2012. Bennett has a time traveling knack. Which means that he has the ability to travel back to 1995, and he ends up meeting Anna.

Anna is such an amazing main character, she was mature and relatable. She is also a good friend (for the most part) to her best friend Em. I could talk all day about everything that I loved about Anna. Starting with the name. Tamara shows that you don't need some completely unrealistic name to have a wonderful character. (Also Anna and Bennett sound really good together).
Bennett is one of those guys in books where you get the feeling that you would love to have one of your own. Gentleman like, protective, loving, and so many more characteristics.

As I said above, the time travelling element was not at all confusing. Most time travelling books that you read have a time stamp at the beginning of each chapter because the author usually doesn't describe what time you are in well enough. I didn't find myself needing a time stamp at all during this entire book.
Three words that I would use to describe this would be:
Mesmerizing, enchanting, and absolutely wonderful. (I know, that's four but you get my point).

I had heard from a few people how great this one was, and it is. Definitely recommend this even if you are like me and not into the time travelling genre. Lovely romance, beautiful character, mesmerizing plot. Every element that gives a good story. I will definitely be reading the sequel, and anything else that Tamara writes.
4.5/5

Waiting on Wednesday (11) What I Thought Was True

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is

What I Thought Was True
Huntley Fitzpatrick
Expected publication: April 15th 2014 by Dial Books for Young Readers


 

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.
Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti




I am not a big fan of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, or Deb Caletti. But I did love My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. Can't wait for this one!
Please link me your Waiting On Wednesdays below in the comments! I would love to visit.